The comedy franchise began with the short-lived TV series Police Squad!, which was created by the team behind the spoof masterpiece Airplane!, which includes Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker. The show was cancelled after just six episodes in 1982. Leslie Nielsen brought Frank Drebin back to life on the big screen with the spoof comedy The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad in 1988, which spawned the sequels The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear in 1991 and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult in 1994. All three movies earned a combined $275 million at the box office.

The remake doesn't have a director attached at this time and its possible that this new incarnation of the series might not be a straight ahead spoof of the crime procedural drama, and it isn't known when production may begin. Ed Helms most recently starred in The Hangover Part III and We're the Millers. He will next be seen in They Came Together, which makes its debut at Sundance next month, and Stretch.